"And I believed that if I started good and won the first set -- even if it went to a third set -- I believed that my body would feel better than hers.

Two-time former Grand Slam champion Kuznetsova clearly failed to recover from her four-hour marathon defeat on Saturday to Richel Hogenkamp, the longest match ever in the Fed Cup.

Bertens grabbed two breaks of serve to take the opening set in 35 minutes.

Then in the second set, 24-year-old Bertens got the break of serve she needed in the seventh game and went on to seal the victory on her second match point with a powerful forehand, which Kuznetsova returned into the net.

Dutch team skipper Paul Haarhuis said he had not expected such an easy victory against last season's runners-up Russia.

"I did not expect a 3-0 win as Russia are a very strong team," he said.

"But our girls played really well, they fought hard. Every day you have the chance to beat the higher-ranked player. That's what the girls believed in and what they've actually done."